Advanced Platform Technology Center

Industrial Advisory Board

To enact our mission of “We Build Translation” the APT Center empanelled an external Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) consisting of representatives from small and large-scale companies engaged in medical device and rehabilitation technology development, who met with Center leaders to guide, mentor, and socialize our thinking relative to industrial and corporate relations.

The purpose of the IAB is to solicit input from developers and manufacturers of commercial medical devices regarding our overall program, and incorporate their advice to help investigators move their projects through the translational process. The ultimate success of later stage translational efforts is moving technologies toward human use and potential commercialization is highly dependent on decisions made during early conceptualization, design and proof-of principle stages. The IAB represents a formal engagement of industry leaders on a Center-wide scale, thus enabling all investigators to benefit from their advice at every stage of development instead of having to seek out such guidance individually. Such feedback will strengthen our understanding of the special considerations for later stage translation that are often underappreciated by clinician, academic scientists and engineers, and help ground our programs in reality. The IAB will also be tasked with the responsibility for evaluating applications to the Innovation Incentive Program targeted for small projects critical to successful late-stage translation. This will guarantee that practical issues, rather than interesting scientific phenomenon, are weighed heavily in the review process. In return, the Industrial Advisory Board will receive the first glimpse of new technology and assistive devices in development and gain from interaction with one another.

Executive Steering Committee

The APTC Executive Steering Committee is comprised of senior management of the local stakeholder institutions (LSCVAMC, CWRU, and CCF) and at least one external member in a leadership position at another VA RRD&T Center. The purpose of this governing body is to ensure that the programmatic priorities of the APTC are consistent and align with those of local stakeholders and that the APTC is relevant and valuable to both disabled Veterans and the partnering institutions. As such, it is designed to facilitate collaborations between basic sciences, engineering, and clinical faculty at the VA and the University and to continue to guarantee access to the unique facilities and opportunities available at each member institution.

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